Choosing Paths
by Fey Phantom
Summary: Oneshot Dash is a sophomore now, looking forward to tomorrow's football game when an unexpected event has him risking his life for someone he's never really cared about. Rated for drinking, violence and attempted rape.


_AN:_ _For those of you waiting on my other stories, please go to my bio page. I've posted a notice there for you._ Okay, so I just suddenly got this idea last night and wrote it out in about two hours so, don't know what possessed me to do it, but well, I hope you all like it. Um, yeah, this is rated for drinking and attempted rape and murder. Some pretty heavy stuff, so don't read unless you're up to it. Oh, and I'm going to say this now because I constantly get reviews in some of my stories that have absolutely no romance in them asking who will be paired up with who (although I don't think anyone'll be asking that here because it _is_ a oneshot, but just to be sure ;) ), please, look at the genre… no romance! This includes _friendship_ between two unlikely people, but it is not a romance fic! No offence to anyone who might support this 'couple' (cause I know there are people out there who do), but please don't ask me to do any kind of follow-up in which they get together or something… it isn't gong to happen. Anyway, sorry if I sound bitter about this or that I'm talking your ear off. I'll stop now so you guys can enjoy the fic. So, enjoy away!

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own any of the main characters or places (other than Jasper's;) ) mentioned in this fic. They belong to Butch Hartman and Nick. The storyline however, and the quote at the beginning, are mine.

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**Choosing Paths**

By Fey Phantom

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_On every path we choose to walk, more paths unfurl at our feet. It is the choices, thus, that paint the landscape of our futures._

It was late in the evening on a balmy fall's night. Although the return to school had come a few weeks ago, many students throughout the city hadn't stopped partying. To them, summer was still in full blast. Nothing was more true than to the teenagers of Amity Park, most of whom took classes at Casper High at a very leisurely level. And so, it was common for the students to be found around the city at parties or bars (their age mysteriously higher than in actuality on some 'borrowed' plastic cards) late into the night. This Friday night was no exception, except that with the lack of classes the following day, parents were doomed to falling asleep uncomfortably knowing their children were somewhere around town with their friends and wouldn't be home until the sun was rising on the horizon.

And so, across town, the parties raged on, undisturbed. It was in a bar near the centre of town that several of the teens from Casper High decided to go. _Jasper's Pub_, that was its name. It was a small but relatively known pub for under-aged teens due to the bartender's lack of concern over his customer's true age. Thus, it found itself brimming with business every night. Here, many teens from the popular crowd drank and raved on about the latest gossip and the other parties they'd be attending during the weekend.

"Hey, and everyone come watch the Ravens tomorrow! We'll be taking on the Chargers!" Dash yelled to the crowd. Several people whooped and a few others announced that they wouldn't miss it.

"Yeah, you tell 'em, Dash!" one of the seniors shouted out, holding his glass of cold, German beer up in a half-toast to the football team. Normally, a sophomore like Dash wouldn't get the time of day from an older student. But Dash was an exception. He came to Casper High already playing a high level of football and was accepted to the football team as the new quarterback before the tryouts were even held. This gave Dash an almost legendary status in the high school and assured him the lead of the popular crowd.

Dash drank one last shot before saying farewell to his many admirers. "Oh, please don't go! We still have the whole night! You can't be going home now!" one of the girls who'd been hanging around him all evening pleaded.

"Naw, I really gotta go. I want to be well-rested for the game tomorrow!" The girl pouted but Dash tore himself away from her anyway. He might not have cared about school all that much, but he was passionate about football and he was also hoping to make it to college on a full athletics scholarship. He wouldn't stand a chance of getting in if his marks were in question, and he really wanted to go, seeing as college football was a great step for him in a career of sports. So, Dash headed off into the dark of the night, closing the door on the light but musty bar. It was already late enough that the buses came at the longest intervals and it would take just as long for Dash to wait then to walk home on his own. He decided the walk couldn't hurt, seeing as he felt a little drunk and the fresh air might do him some good. He couldn't arrive home drunk after all, or he'd never be able to fall asleep and he'd ruin any chances of playing a good game the following day. _1st Decision._

Dash walked at a fair pace, starring at the ground as he went, trying to keep himself in a straight line. He watched his feet take step after step and soon started side-stepping to avoid the cracks in the cement blocks of the pathway. He didn't know why he was playing such a stupid game, but being a little light-headed, he didn't really care. It was sort of fun and made the walk seem less boring.

Finally, he looked up when he realized he'd made it to the main street. He was about to turn right onto it and head down a few blocks until he came to the park near his house, but then thought better of it. His head was still pounding somewhat and he didn't want to get home just yet. Instead, he chose to head toward Casper High. It was a random decision on his part, having no real reason to head that way, but he made the choice nonetheless._2nd Decision._

Continuing up the street he was on, he came to a small district of bookstores and junk shops. It wasn't a very classy district, and some of the buildings shadowed the street in an eerie darkness on what was an otherwise beautiful night. Dash felt tense in the unnatural darkness and he could've sworn some of the shadows seemed to dance merrily along the curbs and shaded windows although everything on the street was rigid and no lights flickered to cause such an effect. He shivered slightly, starting to rethink his decision to head to school. He slowly stumbled backwards until his back was firmly against the brick wall of a building. He looked at the sign over the door. It read _Skulk and Lurk Books_. Dash didn't like the sound of the place at all and decided it'd be best to continue on down the street at a faster pace then before.

He was nearing the end of the stretch of creepy, locked up stores when a sudden, blood-curdling scream cut through the night and shook him to the very core of his body. He stopped dead in his tracks. The scream was from just behind him, back less than a block. Dash's mind was urging him to keep moving, but his feet wouldn't budge. A numbing sensation was running up and down his arms and legs, making it sting to move them. He started to move forward slowly and unsurely, when another scream rang out. This time, the voice yelled words.

"No! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" It was a woman's voice, high-pitched and full of fear. Dash's mind kept urging him to get out of there, to get to safety, but that last scream lit something in the boy. How could he even think of running and leaving the poor girl there to deal with her attacker on her own? She sounded fearful for her life and there was nobody else out; nobody within earshot to hear her pleas. If Dash didn't do something, she would fall to her attacker. Maybe he'd hear something about her body on the morning news? Of course, this neighbourhood wasn't exactly the liveliest place in the day. Maybe her body wouldn't even be found until late afternoon…

That was it; Dash wasn't going to let her deal with the person on her own. He may be only 15, but he was still strong and inexcellent shape. As long as the attacker didn't have a weapon, he should be able to take them on. Of course, this was what his naïve, impulsive, fifteen-year-old mind rationalized._3rd Decision._ He took off towards the girl's sobs and screams. He followed them across the deserted street to a small alleyway in between a shabby-looking café and a 2nd-hand store. Peering into the darkness, he saw them. The woman's attacker was a man, not much taller than himself and a little skinnier. He had a shabby sort of look. His face was shaded behind tufts of hair which hung low over his face like messy, dirty rags. His eyes pierced the night, reflecting the small amount of light from the street as eerily as the curbs and windows reflected the shadows. An angered expression crossed the man's features as he turned and got up from the ground to look at Dash, hearing the boy's hurried steps to the entrance of the side street.

Dash's eyes left those of the man's and fell upon the woman on the ground, only she wasn't a woman at all. She was just a girl. In fact, she was the same age as him, and a classmate too. He knew her not because she was popular, but because she was the girlfriend of his favourite bullying subject. She was also as opposite from popular that anyone could get. She prided herself on individuality, which she brought across very clearly in calling herself a gothic, ultra-recyclo vegetarian. Her name was Sam; he remembered that much about her. And there she was, paralyzed beneath the man's stance and slightly shocked at the appearance of another in the secluded alleyway. She was laying there, clothes slightly ripped, dirt tracked across her front from when she probably attempted to crawl away, her cheek bruised from rough handling. Her skirt was wrinkled but it didn't seem the man had gotten very far with her yet.

"Turn around young man and leave. What's going on here is none of your business." The raspy voice of the man made Dash's stomach churn. This man disgusted him. He didn't care if he didn't like the Goth, attacking a helpless _girl_ like that was beyond sick.

"No, I won't," Dash said angrily.

"Then would you like to watch? I'm sure I could leave enough for you," the man's grin widened.

Dash couldn't help but shake with rage. This man was beyond disgusting and he wouldn't leave Sam now, not without a fight._4th Decision._ "Get away from her, you creep!" he yelled, rushing the man. He took the man with such force that he slammed him hard into the wall. The man's skull hit the stone face with a crack and Dash, for a moment, thought he'd done something terrible. But then, the man opened those glowing eyes of his again and shoved Dash backward. Normally, Dash would have been able to hold his ground a little better, but his fear of having killed had put him off balance. He fell backward to the ground. Behind him, a small yelp sounded. Sam was worried for him. Trying to pull himself back together, he shot a glance at her. She was now leaning up against the opposite wall, panting in a fetal position. She looked so scared but when she noticed him looking her way, she tried to give a faint smile. He would have returned the gesture too, but the next moment he found himself flung over onto his front, a searing pain in his side.

The man, who Dash had forgotten momentarily about, had kicked him in the stomach. Dash blearily looked back at his opponent. The man was heading for Sam again, obviously unaware that it would take more than one kick to ground a quarterback like himself. Dash stood up and rushed at the dark man again, but stopped in his tracks when the man swung around with a glint of silver from his outstretched hand. Dash couldn't tear his eyes away from the sharp, silver knife the man was holding. This was exactly what Dash had worried about. The man advanced on Dash, his grin still in place. Dash backed away, until he found himself back against the wall. The man kept on advancing.

"You wouldn't take my advice and leave; you wouldn't even accept my leftovers! Heroes like yourself were uncalled for in a situation like this. You should have just kept on walking home, little boy. Being out at night in a neighbourhood like this – well, let's just say it's not the smartest thing for someone like you to do. _Especially_ when you choose to meddle in other people's affairs." The man swung the knife forward and Dash gulped. He couldn't escape. He closed his eyes waiting for the blade to cut into him. There was a loud clatter and then a crack and a howl as Dash heard something large and heavy fall at his feet. He opened his eyes and observed the situation with surprise and relief.

In front of him, Sam the Goth was standing, still panting and shaken-looking, her fearful eyes looking at him. On the ground, the man was crouched over, holding one of his legs and still howling in pain. A few feet away, the knife lay innocently on the ground. Apparently, Sam had come up behind the man when he had all his focus on Dash, and hit the knife out of his hand shortly before aiming a strong kick at the man's leg, right behind the knee where the sole of her boot managed to shatter his knee cap.

The two of them looked at each other for a moment before silently agreeing to run from there. They ran as fast as they could to the school, which was the closest place of safety they knew around there. It wasn't before they were sitting in the stands out on the football field, completely out of breath, that either one talked. Dash had finally calmed down enough from hisnear-death experience to be able to think coherently. "You okay?" he asked, shyly placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.

She had seemed almost emotionless the entire time they had sat there until now. She suddenly burst into tears, leaning into Dash's chest. Dash was taken aback for a moment, but he knew how she felt. What that man had wanted to do, what he was going to do, not even an unpopular freak like herself deserved it. He wrapped his arms around her and gently rocked her, saying "It's okay, you'll be fine now. I'll walk you home when you're ready." It wasn't until much later that either moved from that position.

Withdrawing from Dash's embrace, Sam wiped her eyes, not wanting to look like a cry baby. While she had her face hidden in her sleeve, she also took the opportunity to mumble something to Dash. "Thank you."

Dash smiled. She wasn't that bad, you know. He took her arm away from her face so he could talk directly to her. She looked so insecure andshe had an innocence about her that Dash had never seen before in the hard-tempered Goth. "I should be thanking you. You saved my life just about as much as I saved yours. I know some kids like scars, but they never really were my thing." Dash winked. Sam giggled, then smiled back at him.

"I guess we can call it even," she said, a few tears still escaping from her eyes now and then.

"Sure."

The two got up and Dash supported Sam with an arm around her shoulder. She was limping slightly from the attack. They walked together, Dash letting Sam lead the way to her house, taking the most lit and busy streets as possible, whether or not they added a few minutes to the journey.

"So, what happens after this?" Dash asked reluctantly. He didn't want to sound insensitive, but he also knew that school would be the same as always, and although they shared this event now, and had developed a small friendship over it, he couldn't help but know that he'd be playing with the football team later that day and that his life would go back to normal and that, come Monday, he would still be popular and she would still be a freak and they could never mix.

Sam understood exactly what he was getting at. "This is something strictly between you and me. No one needs to know what happened tonight. Come Monday, we'll still be strangers in the hallway, no need to kid ourselves about that!" Sam looked up at him then realized where they were. They had already made it to her house. "Well, this is me," she said, pointing at the door.

Dash looked down at her. He then smiled warmly again and bent down to hug her. "I'm glad you're safe, Stranger."

Sam allowed herself to hug back. "Thanks again – " she paused, feeling saddened but happy at the same time, "Stranger." She turned and went to her door, unlocked it and went in. Dash watched for a moment until a light on the second floor was lit, and then he turned to go home too. He knew none of this changed anything between them, but he also knew that it would not keep himself from being changed forever. He would never forget the decisions he'd made that night that changed his outlook on life or on the generosity of people in the world. He realized that Sam could have just as easily taken off than have fought to savehim. His actions had been reckless, but he held no regrets in the decisions he'd made. They brought him to save a life and that is never a worthless decision.

_**Fin**_

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Okay, I know Sam and Dash may have seemed a little OOC, but, well, put anyone in that kind of situation and see what they'd do; it probably wouldn't be exactly what you'd expect of them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and I'd love to hear any comments, questions or suggestions you may have so please R&R!

.:Fey Phantom:.


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